Church Of Jesus Christ

Cutlerites or the Church of Jesus Christ is a break away section of the Church of Latter Day Saints or Mormons. Church of Jesus Christ has its headquarters in Independence, Missouri. Alpheus Cutler, member of Nauvoo high council, was the founding member of the Church and it is in his honor that the members are called Cutlerites. As of now the church is very small and in fact consists of only one branch. However, the response is enthusiastic and the members are active and believe in the doctrines of Alpheus Cutler.

Alpheus Cutler, the founding member of the Church of Jesus Christ use to be a leading figure in the Church of the Latter Day Saints at around the same time as Joseph Smith, Jr. The construction of the churchís temple at Nauvoo, Illinois was under Cutlerís supervision; in fact he was so influential within the movement that he was one of the members of the Council of Fifty, an extremely secretive organization within the movement of the Latter Day Saints. Cutler was the one who was sent on a special evangelizing mission to the Lamanites (Mormon terminology for Native Americans), in 1844.

Cutler decided to immigrate to the newly founded city of Salt lake, upon invitation by a fellow by the name of William Young. In doing so, however he chose not to give up on the sensitive Lamanite mission. He founded a colony along with some of his most loyal followers in Manti, Iowa, where he continued with his evangelizing work. The Church of Jesus Christ was formed by Cutler by reorganizing his own Mormon members on September 19, 1853. Joseph Smith Junior, the leader of the Church of Latter Day saints, has by now passed away and his son, Joseph Smith III had taken the position.

Several years later, missionaries from the reorganization paid a visit to Manti, circa 1860. Many of Cutlers fellows were torn between loyalty to Cutler and a belief that Joseph Smith III was truly his fatherís son. Many left the Cutlerís church of Jesus Christ and joined Smithís Reorganized Church Of The Latter Day Saints. Cutler passed away on August 10 1864 but not before the members who were loyal to Cutler moved the church to Clitherall, Minnesota in response to a vision. However, even their the missionaries form the reorganization managed to track them down and convert many of them to their cause. It was only in 1928, that a faction of the group that still remained loyal to Cutler built their present day headquarters at Independence, Missouri.

The Church of Jesus Christ has its own unique doctrines that it follows, like the Order of Enoch which is a form of communitarianism. There was an extraordinary Mormon temple ceremony that originated in the Nauvoo period. It was called the Ďendowmentí ceremony and the Cutlerites are the only Prairie saints who follow it till today.